No police raises for 2 years; layoffs on the table

Police Chief Charles McClelland said today that police officers will not get salary increases for two years and that increases in incentive pay will similarly be deferred until at least 2013.

McClelland made the remarks in response to questions from my colleague Cindy George at a press briefing this afternoon at his office. The chief’s remarks were the first public hint at what’s in a five-year police contract headed to Council next week.

Mayor Annise Parker has asked the chief to shoot for $33 million in cuts to his department’s $662 million budget. She assigned HPD a 5 percent budget reduction target — much lower than the 27 percent she asked the library, parks, health and human services, convention and entertainment and other departments to come up with.

Lack of raises isn’t a cut, of course, and McClelland said layoffs of officers are not off the table. The chief said, though, that he will continue to look for opportunities to achieve savings in other ways.

29 Responses

And yet Parker ( the city of Houston Taxpayers ) has given a home developer..monies towards a gated community..WOW…I know that is what we need…ANOTHER HOUSING DEVELOPMENT..!!! Houses are not selling now..!!! I know..I know…It is only MONEY…OUR..( taxpayers ) MONEY.!

Wow that’s some deeeep cutting there! $33 million!! Does that mean no new helicopters? How about them UAV’s? No $100K+ a-year officers? No traffic cops fabricating overtime pay for themselves by writing tickets en masse at speed traps, and then hanging out at traffic court all day reading paperbacks? Parking their vehicles behind buildings for hours as they study for their degrees from Mountain State University, the University of Phoenix or some other worthless online diploma mill on our dime? I guess we are all going to die now in the hands of the criminals and perverts. If there are layoffs, hopefully they will start with all of their motley crew that have been brought before grand juries, reinstated by civil service commissions after getting fired or suspended by the Chief(s), been caught beating minors, shooting unarmed victims, etc, etc. As far as the union contract, since HPD officers love to claim the title of professionals, pay them a salary, no overtime, just like any other professionals.

Thanks Bush for wasting a trillion dollars on your fake war and destroying the world economy! But double thanks for blaming the black guy for all your screwups! Lets all vote for the republicans who did this to us.

See…Teabaggers love the idea of “cutting” government spending. But guesss what…taxes pay for the things you really want..police, firemen, teachers, paved roads, etc… Those same senior teabaggers also don’t want to cut social security and medicare, although that,and military spending contribute to the deficit more than anything…HYPOCRITES!!!!

If Houstonians are unwilling to pay more taxes to maintain an adequate police force then they deserve the consequences. This bizarre anti-taxation mentality is insanity. If you want services, pay for them. If you don’t, then don’t complain when the $#*! hits the fan.

I don’t live in Houston, but I’m never glad to hear of officers getting laid off. I bet bucks I could find the money somewhere else, because I can see many things that are less than as important as being short of law enforcement… which you already are.

I don’t mind not getting a raise for two years in my job. But if I had to wear a bullet proof vest in 100 degree weather, constantly be called a violent jerk when all I wanted to do was help people and be accused of being lazy when I stay busy during my shift; I may want a 2% raise too.

Please remember–you never hear about the good ones and the extraordinary things they do.

police officers will not get salary increases for two years and that increases in incentive pay will similarly be deferred until at least 2013.

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This is the type of Police Officers Union negotiations with the city that eventually puts the city in the hole. What is the public not being told? The COH will make pension payments to the Police Pension Plan plus increase the amount due to the no salary increase. After two years the non-reducing pension payment level will be at a higher level and police will then receive pay increases at an even higher rate. No body is working for the same pay for two years at the Police Department. Want to make a cut….stop the multimillion dollar yearly contribution to the Police pension plan, at least don’t increase it.

Regardless of what you think about police officers, the mere presence of a patrol car deters crimes. Having less officers is open season. A basketball player with no education may earn millions and no one complains yet there is a problem when a public safety official earns 100k. Give me a break!

pretty sweet deal compared to the teachers, EMTs, firemen, city workers, etc whose unions are under attack by Perry – The police union remains untouched. Our leaders have to keep the cops happy so that they have protection from ‘we the people’ when things get ugly.

Just remember our reduced public safety is a result of Perry’s giveaway in tax breaks to big Texas companies to reward his rich donors. So while the fat cats live in their gated mansions and exclusive communities where they’ve hired out deputies to protect them, the rest of us – the entire middle class and others- will be at the mercy of hoodlums, thugs, and white collar criminals. Those Republicans really care about all Texans, don’t they??

REMOVE THE OFFICERS WITH a history of filed complaints against them. A PLAIN AND SIMPLE SAVINGS OF TAXPAYERS MONEY. I will bet that if one dug deep enough that they would find some officers on FORCED LEAVE WITH PAY due to a HIGH NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS WHERE EVIDENCE TO PROVE THEM GUILTY WAS in the hands of the victims ….CUT THESE OFFICERS FROM THE PAYROLL…..higher and train REAL men and women who are honorable and women. Mayor Parker, with all due respect, clean up HPD as you promised in your inauguration speech, Jan 2010, This will surely satisfy a budget crisis. Less money spent on investigating ,protecting and legally representing those that continue time and time again to misuse the authority allotted to them.A well paid officer on DESK DUTY is a JOKE not to mention a slap in the face of a hard working taxpaying citizen and NONSENSE spending…..If one fails to hold his position as “To Protect and Serve” then he/she should be terminated. Period!!! ZERO TOLERANCE. The message will be heard….Our officers will hold their position with high regards once they realize that they too are not invincible